Friday, January 18, 2013

As a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
my cousin George had only a vague idea of what he wanted to pursue as a career.
He was intelligent, driven, analytical, and always emerged as a leader in
teamwork environments. He was good at taking a problem, examining it, and
applying abstract theories to solve it. He thought in terms of ideas and possibilities,
but unlike many dreamers, he also had the remarkable ability to make
intangibles into realities. He could have been successful at almost anything,
which may have created some of his indecision. He wanted to find something he
wasn’t just good at, but passionate about.

Our family encouraged him to follow in the footsteps of his
father, who had opened his own corner bicycle shop and rental store in Myrtle
Beach at the age of 23. His shop had been a booming success and local go-to for
people on vacation looking to enjoy the warm sunshine and picturesque scenery
firsthand. George had been raised around great businessmen who knew the niche markets,
and how to have influence in them. George, a spitting image of his old man, was
remarkably charismatic. Coupled with his business savvy and remarkable mind, we
were certain he would do well in business. After joining an undergraduate
business association his sophomore year, he was determined to obtain a B.A. in
Business Process Management. I am proud to declare that he graduated this past May
from the Business College with honors in the top ten percent of his class (It’s
alright for me to brag a little, right?!).

Now that George is out in the working world, he’s expressed how
much he misses studying effective models for business management, market case
studies and learning a whole slew of other business-related materials. I had a
feeling he would miss the academic sphere. While he’s doing well for himself as
an Account Manager at his current job, I think the idea of managing an entire
company from the top down, and maybe even founding one, is growing more and
more appealing. With that being said, I think grad schools are on the horizon
in his near future.

I have begun to do some research on the best, most affordable Full-time
MBA programs available here in Illinois to send him. We have some relatives up
north who have mentioned there are several reasonably affordable MBA programs in Michigan that George should consider as well. According to US News &
World Report, the MSU Broad College of Business Full-time MBA was ranked 19th
among public universities and 44th overall. I don’t know much about Michigan State, but it does seem like there
are Spartan alumni everywhere. Just last week I sat next to a State grad on a
flight back from Atlanta. We talked for a while and he seemed like a great guy.
I’m still digging up info on what they offer and other programs he should
consider.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up. I know he’ll be
successful regardless, I just want him to get the best education possible. I
look forward to speaking with him in the coming weeks about these new
opportunities!